The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for establishing a wireless communication group especially, but not necessarily, in a mobile system.
Various discussion groups and real-time discussion services have become more and more popular among users. The popularity of communication groups has increased especially since the use of the Internet has become more widespread among the general public. In discussion groups, people are able to express their thoughts and comments to others from their own terminals, such as computers connected to the Internet.
Establishing a wireless communication group became more common and popular among the users of mobile stations with mobile systems, such as GSM. For instance, a family, hobby group or working community can establish communication groups and have discussions between group members at a price less than the regular telephone rate. This, however, requires an advance agreement with the operator providing the service. When using said service, it is possible to communicate in-group matters only with members in telephone communication at the time in question. Such a method does not provide a possibility for all members of the group to share information simultaneously.
A group call enables more than two persons using a communication device to communicate in real time. Establishing a group and transmitting information between group members may, however, be difficult, since a certain time for establishing the group call is not always suitable for all parties. In addition, establishing a group call can be disadvantageous in its cost distribution, since the costs arisen from the communication are not necessarily divided evenly between all group members.
Mobile systems also provide a possibility to send and receive messages in short-message form, which has made a different kind of group communication possible. Messages can be sent to one or more group members. A drawback in the method is, however, that the group must be established for every message transmission. In addition, the principle of group communication should be taken into account in replying to the message and the message should be replied to in such a manner that the reply, too, is transmitted to all group members. Nokia Communicator 9110 and e-mail applications, for instance, provide the possibility to transmit a group message in such a manner that the same message can be transmitted to a predefined group in one transmission.
A known solution for establishing a group is described in an earlier application of the applicant (WO 00/30374) disclosing a method and an apparatus for transmitting a voice message in one transmission to a group of communication devices in a communication network, such as mobile network. The application discloses a method for establishing a group of a set of communication devices by connecting said devices together and by creating a group establishment message that is transmitted to each device connected to the group. The connection of the devices can be either a wireless or physical connection, such as cable connection. In addition, group information is preferably transmitted to a server in the communication network that stores and updates the group information and transmits said group information to communication devices connected to the group after the group has been established.
The prior art solution does not, however, provide a solution for selecting a group member in such a manner that all group members have a possibility to participate in the selection. Because the group as a communicating unit possibly shares confidential information, and the group members can be socially bound to each other, it is important that the group members know about possible new members. In addition, all users should when receiving a group establishment message connect to the group. This is not always possible, since all group members do not necessarily at a given moment have time to consider for instance whether a new member candidate is suitable for the group or not.
A method and an apparatus have now been invented for establishing a communication group between wireless communication devices in a radio network.
The invention enables a user of a communication device to join an existing group of communication device users by employing an acceptance process based on the decision of the group members. The applicant applies for membership separately from each group member, and after all group members have replied to the applicant, the applicant will receive information on whether his membership has been accepted or rejected. Depending on the definitions of the acceptance process made inside the group, the applicant is accepted as a member unanimously, in which case all group members are for the applicant, by a majority decision, in which case more than half of the total number of members in the group are for the applicant, or by a decision in which a certain member or part of the group members are for the applicant.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is implemented for selecting a new member to a communication group of users of wireless communication devices, the communication group comprising at least two communication device users who are members of said group, and at least one communication device user who does not belong to said group, which (communication device not belonging to said group) applies for membership in said communication group and is capable of communicating with at least one member of the communication group through his communication device, characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: creating an apply message in said communication device not belonging to the group, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; transmitting the apply message wirelessly from the communication device not belonging to said group to the communication device of at least one member of said communication group for the purpose of becoming a member of said group; creating by at least one group member a feedback concerning joining said group in response to the received apply message; and forming a decision on joining said group in response to said at least one feedback.
According to a second aspect of the invention, a wireless communication device is implemented for said communication device user joining a communication group of wireless communication devices, said communication group comprising at least two users of communication devices who are members of said group, and said communication device being capable of communicating with the communication device of at least one member of said communication group, characterized by said wireless communication device comprising: means for creating an apply message in said communication device, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; means for transmitting the apply message wirelessly from said communication device to the communication device of at least one member of said communication group; means for receiving a feedback wirelessly from the communication device of at least one group member in response to the transmitted apply message; and means for forming a decision on joining said group in response to said feedback.
According to a third aspect of the invention, a wireless communication device is implemented for selecting a user of a second communication device not belonging to a communication group of wireless communication devices to said communication group, said communication group comprising at least two users of communication devices who are members of said group, and said wireless communication device is used by at least one of the group members and said wireless communication device is capable of communicating with at least one second communication device not belonging to said communication group, characterized by said wireless communication device comprising: means for receiving an apply message wirelessly, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; means for creating a feedback on accepting the communication device applying for membership in the group in response to the received apply message; means for transmitting the feedback wirelessly to at least one of the following: the communication device of the user of said communication device not belonging to the communication group, the communication device of at least one other member of said communication group.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a system is implemented for selecting a new member to a communication group of users of wireless communication devices, the communication group comprising at least two users of communications devices who are members of said communication group, and at least one user of a communication device not belonging to said group who applies for membership in said communication group and is capable of communicating with at least one member of the communication group through his communication device, characterized by the system comprising: means for creating an apply message by the user of the communication device not belonging to said group; means for transmitting the apply message wirelessly by the user of the communication device not belonging to the group to at least one member of said communication group for the purpose of becoming a member in said group; means for receiving the apply message wirelessly, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; means for creating a feedback on accepting the communication device applying for membership in the group in response to the received apply message; means for transmitting the feedback wirelessly to at least one of the following: the communication device of the user of said communication device not belonging to the communication group, the communication device of at least one other member of said communication group; means for forming a decision on joining said group in response to said feedback.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, a computer program product is implemented for a wireless communication device for the user of said communication device to join a communication group of wireless communication devices, the communication group comprising at least two users of wireless communication devices who are members of said group, and said wireless communication device being capable of communicating with the communication device of at least one member of said communication group, characterized in that the computer program product comprises: computer program means for making said wireless communication device to create an apply message ordered by the user of the communication device not belonging to said group, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; computer program means for making said wireless communication device to send, ordered by the user of the communication device not belonging to said group, the apply message wirelessly to at least one member of said communication group for the purpose of becoming a member of said group; computer program means for making said wireless communication device to receive a feedback wirelessly from at least one member of the group in response to the transmitted apply message; and computer program means for making said wireless communication device to form a decision on joining said group in response to said feedback.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, a computer program product is implemented for a wireless communication device for selecting a user of a second communication device not belonging to a communication group of wireless communication devices to said communication group, said communication group comprising at least two users of wireless communication devices who are members of said communication group, and said wireless communication device being used by at least one of the group members and capable of communicating with at least one other communication device not belonging to said communication group, characterized in that the computer program product comprises: computer program means for making said wireless communication device to receive an apply message wirelessly, said apply message comprising a request for membership in said communication group; computer program means for making said wireless communication device to create a feedback on accepting the communication device applying for membership in the group in response to the received apply message; computer program means for making said wireless communication device to transmit the feedback wirelessly to one of the following: the communication device of the user of said communication device not belonging to the communication group, the communication device of at least one other member of said communication group.